Restaurant magazine: New wave Eastern cuisine

05-Aug-2013 - Last updated on 06-Aug-2013 at 08:49 GMT

Related tags Restaurant magazine Japan Sushi

Steamed Hirata buns which diners assemble themselves will be a key feature at Flesh & Buns, Ross Shonhan's latest project that is one of a few in London challenging the traditions of Japanese food

There's a new wave of Japanese food sweeping the capital that is challenging the traditions of both the cuisine itself and the manner in which it is served, says Restaurant magazine's Stefan Chomka, who speaks to those shaking up the Eastern food scene in London for this month's issue.

From Ross Shonhan's Bone Daddies and Flesh & Buns (which opens this month) to MasterChef 2011 winner Tim Anderson's plans to open a Japanese izykaya, the new breed of Asian restaurants where the rules are different are set to have their day, just as burgers are now.

“For so long in the UK, Japanese food has been really stylised and expensive and stuck on the classic dishes everybody knows; it has just been sushi, sushi, sushi. When you’re in Japan or anywhere in east Asia the way people eat is more casual and fun, and there’s often more booze involved. There’s always more junk food than people expect as well," says Anderson in explaining his take on Japanese cuisine.

Restaurant also speaks to Tsuru and Tonkotsu founder Emma Reynolds, who has spearheaded a ramen revolution in the capital and looks at where this sector is headed in the future.

Also in this month's issue:

Karam Sethi, chef-patron of Trishna and backer of Bubbledogs speaks out about his latest project in Table for Two
La Tasca's business is put under the microscope in the Business Profile
Peter Gordon, the godfather of fusion cuisine, shares his Pearls of Wisdom
Sweetcorn is given the once over in Ingredients
The rising trend for ageless whisky is explored in Liquid Assets.

The August edition of Restaurant magazine is out tomorrow. Subscribe here or read the digital edition here.